Daisy
by beautifulxliex
Summary: Alice has left with Edward, and the family is left to pick up the pieces for Jasper and Bella. Will either of them emerge from the staggering depression they have entered? Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a longer fanfic, so please bear with me. I hope you enjoy this first chapter. I'm terrible with names, so that one probably seems pretty off the wall. I'm thinkin' I'll make it more relevant later. If you know the song that is quoted in here, props to you [:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the particular way they live. That belongs to Stephenie Meyer. The song lyrics belong to Brand New.**

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_I'm a mountain that has been moved._

_I'm a river that is all dried up._

_I'm an ocean nothing floats on._

_I'm a sky that nothing wants to fly in._

It had been weeks since she left, but I still couldn't hold myself together. Alice had been my life, my lover, my anchor. I just didn't know how to cope with the idea of living an eternity without the woman I loved; the only woman I would ever love. I ran her words over and over again in my head, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"_I'm leaving you, Jasper. Our futures are no longer the same, and I'm sorry for that. My future…it is with Edward."_

I remembered the anger that had flooded me, covering up the inevitable pain of her departure. I'd gone hunting through the house for my brother, intent on tearing him apart limb by traitorous limb. I remembered how Alice had grabbed my arm with a surprising force.

"_He's not here, Jasper. I made sure he wouldn't be. I knew how you would react."_

I curled into the fetal position on the bed we'd once shared, my arms wrapped tightly around my knees. Rosalie and Emmett had been very supportive, but I couldn't bring myself to speak to them much. Carlisle and Esme were busy trying to care for Bella, who had moved in with us since Edward left. She wasn't doing any better than I was, and her grief mingled with mine to make me feel that much worse. I frowned, remembering more of my conversation with Alice on the last day she was here.

"_We will be able to live as a family again; I've seen it. Unfortunately, it won't be for quite some time."_

I closed my eyes tightly, trying to block myself from the pain. I hadn't been hunting since she'd left, and my eyes were a terrible black. We had almost always hunted together; the entire act held memories that I no longer wanted. Every memory, every moment we had together over the past century tortured me, continuously playing over and over in my mind. I remembered our wedding, the first time we made love, the first time we met; my body was racked with tearless sobs. I heard a soft knock at the door, but didn't respond. Esme opened the door slowly; I assumed not wanting to frighten me. I knew it was her from her emotions. She was feeling worried about Bella and me, but was also feeling horribly sad at the loss of Alice and Edward. She moved around the bed and kneeled down so she was level with me, and I slowly opened my eyes to look at her. She gasped when she saw their color, and reached out to smooth my hair down. It was greasy, due to my lack of showering over the past few weeks.

"Jasper, sweetie, you have to hunt. You'll die." Her eyes shown with tears that she could never shed; my emotions were projected all around the room. I couldn't find the strength to keep them to myself.

"Maybe that's what I want," I whispered quietly, closing my eyes tightly again. Esme's hand continued to run through my hair, and she gave me the saddest smile I've ever seen.

"Sweetie, just come hunting with us. Things will get better; you'll see." I sighed, slowly uncurling my legs from my chest. If there was anyone who could convince me to keep myself from dying, it was Esme. I sat up first, and then moved to stand up; I was glad I wasn't human, or else my legs would be practically useless after so long without standing. Esme smiled at me, and this time it was genuine. "Come on, honey. Emmett's going with us while Rosalie and Carlisle stay back with Bella." Of course all of us wouldn't be going; I wasn't sure why I'd thought that. They wouldn't leave Bella alone, and I couldn't blame them. She was bound to do something reckless without their supervision. I simply nodded, and Esme gave me a sad look; this was a look I never wanted to see on her face again. She was too sweet and loving for this kind of sadness. "Jasper, please come back to us. You're not really here anymore; I can't stand to lose another child." If I could still cry, I would have right then.

"I'll try, Mama. I promise I'll try." She smiled at my use of the nickname I'd adorned her with. It was a joke more than anything, meant to play on my southern roots. She placed her small hand around my larger one before we left the room and went downstairs. My senses were assaulted by Bella's human scent, but Carlisle and Emmett were holding my arms before I could even think about going after her. I wasn't myself in that moment, as they carried me outside and away from Bella's frightened face. Once I was clear of her scent I dropped to my knees, pain written on my face. "I'm so sorry." I whispered the words as I stared up at Carlisle. I couldn't –no, I wouldn't– disappoint him.

Carlisle smiled down at me gently. "It's alright, son. I understand why. You haven't hunted in weeks. Any of us would be weakened by that." I nodded once, still on the ground with my head in my hands.

Emmett placed his hand on my shoulder, rough as always. "Come on, bro. Let's go kill shit!"

Esme frowned. "Language, Emmett." He rolled his eyes before physically helping me to my feet and leading me off towards the woods. Soon we were running, and it was actually making me feel better. I felt free, and I was actually able to focus since I was so thirsty. I stopped suddenly in the middle of a small clearing, my head turned up and my eyes closed. My eyes snapped open suddenly, and I grinned at Emmett. He and Esme had both stopped with me, and Esme swelled with hope when she saw me smile.

"Do you smell that, Em?" He nodded, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"Hell yeah I do. Grizzlies, and there's quite a few of them." He kept the grin as he took off; Esme and I weren't far behind. We reached them quickly, being sure to hide ourselves from them. "Calm 'em down, Jasper. You know how skittish they are around us." I nodded, sending waves of calm to them. I could barely contain myself long enough to calm them down, and I was the first to attack. I took down the biggest one there, as Esme took down one of the smaller ones and Emmett went after the second largest. We'd killed all four of them before we headed back, and I was feeling a little better.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter 2! In the same 24 hours as Chapter 1 [: All of the story alerts and the few reviews convinced me to write the next chapter tonight. I hope you all enjoy [: Reviews are always welcome, as I like to know how I'm doing.**

**Disclaimer: The characters and everything that comes with them (lifestyle, description, canon pairings) do not belong to me. All credit for that goes to Stephenie Meyer. The storyline, however, is mine [:**

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After hunting, I was slowly getting back to my old self. The pain and sorrow was still there, but not as much anymore. I hung around the family a few hours a day instead of staying in our old room constantly, and even tried to help Bella out some when she wasn't holed up in _his_ old room. I still couldn't think of either of their names, and I was doing my best to avoid thinking about the entire situation. Being in our room was the most difficult to handle, but I did it anyway. I figured if I spent enough time up there, I would start to feel better about it. Carlisle had offered to move me into one of the spare rooms in the house several times, but I wasn't up for that. I couldn't lose her completely just yet; her scent lingered in our room, and some of her belongings were still there. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of them; the pictures of us, the clothes she left behind. Everything held memories, and they were memories I wasn't ready to give up. Unfortunately, Bella was having a similar problem. It was about a week before she'd see me alone after I'd tried to attack her before I went hunting; she swore it wasn't the fact that I'd jumped at her, but the fact that I reminded her of Edward in a way. Unlike Emmett, Edward and I were built in a fairly similar way. She finally let me in, and I was cautious; I could feel her emotions and she was so overcome with grief and loss that I wasn't sure I could handle it.

"Bella…everything is going to be alright. It will just take some time." I was whispering to her, as she was curled up on Edward's couch with tears in her eyes. I hadn't seen her without at least a hint of tears since he left.

"How do you do it? How do you act so normal without Alice?" The name hit me like a ton of bricks; the rest of the family simply avoided speaking of either of them. I took a deep, unnecessary breath before speaking.

"It takes work, to be honest. I just act like I normally would around my family, and eventually I forget I'm acting."

Bella sighed as a single tear leaked from her eye. "I don't think I can do that; there are so many memories in this house." An idea struck me then, and it seemed as relevant as any.

"Do you want to move? We have houses all over the country." The suggestion seemed rational enough, and I particularly liked the idea of moving. Forks as a whole was tainted with memories of her, and him for that matter. To my surprise, Bella actually smiled a little bit at that.

"I think that would make me feel better; can we move somewhere warm?" I smiled; she'd never liked the cold. I'd felt her emotions often since she'd entered our lives.

"I think we could manage that. I have a house down in Texas that is big enough for all of us." Bella cracked the same half smile as before.

"Texas would be nice." I grinned; I missed Texas more than I ever cared to let on. I touched her cheek gently, but immediately felt terrible as she jerked away from my touch. She was radiating remorse, and I knew I'd reminded her of him.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I'll send Rosalie in here for a minute while I go speak to Carlisle." She just nodded, unable to make words as she broke out in sobs. Instead of leaving, I stayed with her. I hesitated before carefully pulling her into my arms and holding her close. Bella slowly calmed down, and once she'd stopped crying she looked up at me. "You don't remind me of him as much as everyone else right now. Your scars…I can feel them on your arms. They make you better for comforting." She stopped for a moment, and then quickly started apologizing. "I'm sorry, Jasper. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring your scars up. It's just-"

"Bella, it's alright. I'm glad I can offer you comfort." I cut her off with a smile as I ran my hands through her hair gently. She smiled back, but it wasn't full.

"Okay. I just didn't want to offend you."

I nodded before smiling down at her again. "Is it okay if I go talk to Carlisle now about moving, or do you want me to stay with you?" Her cheeks burned a bright red before she spoke.

"You can go talk to him now. I'm sorry for keeping you." I could tell it was a lie; I could feel how much she wanted me to stay with her. I didn't know what to think of it just yet, but I would oblige.

"I can tell you're lying, Bella. Empath, remember?" I smiled down at her as her cheeks turned an even brighter red. "Would you like me to help you get to sleep? I'm sure it would do you some good." She just nodded, and I reluctantly set her on the couch again. I sent her a wave of calm and lethargy, and she was asleep within minutes. Carlisle knocked on the door quietly a few minutes later. Bella was holding my hand; she'd grabbed it just before she went to sleep and was tracing a crescent-shaped scar on the top of it.

"I think Texas is a great idea. I will start making arrangements immediately." He was smiling, and I could feel that he was relieved at a change of scenery as well. I figured Forks must be affecting Esme in the same way it was Bella and I; too many reminders of her lost children.

"Thank you, Carlisle. Will you tell the others? I'm going to stay with Bella until we hunt." I returned his smile, relieved that he was okay with moving.

"Of course, son. I'm sure none of them will have a problem with it."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long to get out. I was tied up with the end of the semester and finals and everything, and I'm on vacation visiting my Dad. But! I found time to write this chapter. I apologize for how short it is, and I promise this will start getting more interesting soon [:**

**Disclaimer: ****The characters and everything that comes with them (lifestyle, description, canon pairings) do not belong to me. All credit for that goes to Stephenie Meyer. The storyline, however, is mine [:**

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**BPOV**

My hand was shaking as I reached up to knock on my father's door; he didn't know I was coming. He answered the door and a smile broke out on his face when he saw me. "Bells! No need for you to knock. You could've just walked right in!" He opened the door wider, ushering me inside.

I gave him a small smile, though it was very obvious it was a fake one. "Dad…we need to talk." He looked worried now, and immediately sat down in his chair. I moved to the couch and sat down, running a hand through my hair nervously. "We're moving, Dad." I spoke quietly, my eyes cast toward the ground. I didn't want to see his reaction.

"How far?"

"Pretty far. Texas." I looked up then, but immediately wished I hadn't. I could tell how the news hit him, and I could his sadness was almost palpable. He sat there for a moment, his eyes cast downward, before he looked up at me.

"Bells, I can't just let you go. I know there are memories here that…upset you, but I'm your father. I can't have you that far away from me. I let you move in with the Cullens, but I can't let you move with them." He seemed determined now, but I knew I wouldn't be staying. I kept my eyes on the ground as I spoke.

"You can't stop me, Dad. I'm 18 now. I'll be finishing school in Texas; there's only a little while left anyway." I looked up as I finished, and I watched as his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Will you visit?" His voice was so quiet and small; it didn't suit him. My father was an important, respectable man. He was not the type to speak so timidly.

"Of course I will, Dad. How could I not?" I forced a smile for him then, and he offered a sad one back.

"When are you moving? I want to at least take you out to dinner or something before you leave."

"We're moving tomorrow, so you can take me out tonight. I'm sorry it's such short notice; we just decided to move yesterday." I was hoping he would take me up on the offer; I didn't want to spend much more time in his house. It presented more memories, ones that I hadn't had time to begin getting past.

"Alright. Just let me change into something nice and we'll go now." He smiled before getting up and heading upstairs.

Dinner with my father went well, and soon I was back at the Cullens. I didn't stay downstairs at all, just walked in and went straight up to his old room. I lay down on the couch, looking around at the room. He'd barely taken anything with him; a few of his favorite CDs, some clothes, a few notebooks. Other than that his room was exactly the same. I sighed, slowly curling back into the ball I'd been in for God knows how long. Tears leaked from my closed eyes as I curled my arms tighter around my body.

**JPOV**

Everything was arranged to move to Texas, and I couldn't be more excited for it. I still mourned the loss of Alice, but my excitement about moving to my home state offset my sorrow in a very pleasant way. Now all that was left was for Bella to break the news to Charlie, and we'd be on our way. I knew as soon as she'd returned to the house from Charlie's; her sorrow was still so strong. I watched her as she immediately went up to _his _old room, sharing a worried look with Rosalie. I stood once I knew she was up there.

"I'll go check on her. She'll be ready to go in about fifteen minutes, probably." We had no intentions of staying until the morning, as her father had suggested. It was just getting dark, which would be the perfect time to get started on the drive. We could only travel by night once we got out of Washington's impressive cloud cover.

I got to Edward's room quickly, knocking on the door before I entered. "Bella? Are you alright?"

She sniffled loudly, and I could hear it in her voice as she spoke that she was holding back sobs. "Why did he go, Jasper? How could he just leave me here all alone? He hardly took anything; our pictures are still here in his room. It's like he'll be coming back any time now. It hardly looks like he left." She immediately started sobbing, and I hurried over to comfort her. I rubbed her back gently, one of her small hands encircling my arm.

"I know, sweetheart. It's hard, but we'll get through it. I know what you are going through, and I promise you I will help you through this." I offered her a smile, hoping to help her calm down. She just nodded at me before climbing into my lap. She clung to my neck, her face buried in my chest as she sobbed. I rubbed soothing circles on her back as she traced the scars on my neck with her fingers. She calmed down after a few minutes, and I pulled back to smile at her.

"Would you like to ride with me to Texas? I'm taking my truck." She grinned and nodded before leaning back into my chest.

"That would be nice."

I pulled back again and set her down next to me. "We have to get moving, sweetheart. Everyone's ready and we only have so much time to get as far as we can for the night." She nodded before standing up; Esme and Rosalie had packed all of her things. "Come on; let's get away from all of these lingering memories. We can just start over. New place, new life."

Bella smiled at this, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Alright. Let's get going then."


End file.
